Organic food is in. The idea of choosing organic for your health and longevity has exploded in popularity in recent years. You’ll find organic food in three out of four supermarkets today, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that organic products make up more than 4 percent of total food sales in the country.

One message in particular — that organic food increases longevity — is especially compelling. Advocates have latched onto this organic food benefits claim, hoping it’ll serve as the ultimate incentive for Americans to go organic, but the scientific community is divided on whether organic foods offer enough health benefits to justify the added expense.

The nutritional value of organic foods has been widely disputed. Researchers from Stanford concluded there is limited evidence that organic foods are significantly more nutritious than nonorganic, according to a 2012 review published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. But in 2014 the British Journal of Nutrition published a review of 343 studies that found organic produce on average had significantly higher levels of antioxidants, which help fight disease. Nonorganic foods from the studies were four times more likely than organic foods to have pesticide residue in addition to higher concentrations of a toxic metal.

One of the commonly cited reasons in favor of buying organic is that organic foods, particularly fruits and vegetables, have fewer pesticides. Many of the pesticides that are used on conventionally grown food were approved before the scientific and medical communities began actively researching the link between pesticide exposure and disease. Only in recent years has attention been paid to how pesticides affect people's quality of life.

DDT, a pesticide that’s used in some countries to control insects on food crops, decreases the function of natural killer (NK) cells in the body, according to a 2013 study published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology from Tennessee State University. NK cells are the body’s first line of defense against viral pathogens and tumor cells, which means a decrease in their function can result in increased susceptibility to cancer and certain viruses.

Organic Produce You Should Buy

The following fruits and vegetables have been identified by the Environmental Working Group as requiring high levels of pesticide use when conventionally grown. So as a general rule they are safest to eat when grown organically:

But How Can You Tell if It’s Really Organic?

Contaminants also often make their way into the rest of the food chain through conventional animal feeding systems and industrial pollution. Organic animal products such as organic fruits and vegetables are grown in certified farm fields and processing facilities that operate without the use of toxic pesticides and fertilizers. However, not all organic foods are free of pesticide residue so it's important to do your own research before spending extra money.

Organic labeling can sometimes be deceiving. Only the "100 percent organic" label denotes a completely organic product. Under USDA guidelines, however, products that contain 95 percent organic ingredients can also be labeled "USDA Organic." To qualify for a "Made With Organic Ingredients" label, the product must be made with 70 percent organic ingredients, while products with less than 70 percent organic ingredients must limit organic labeling to the ingredients list.

Beef and chicken and their associated by-products such as milk and eggs are relatively easy to label. For example, there are clear standards for when and where livestock can be treated as organic. To qualify as organic, the land on which the animals reside must be chemical free for at least three years. These standards help simplify decisions about whether to buy organic beef, milk, chicken, and eggs.

As for fish, the USDA's National Organic Standards Board in 2008 passed criteria that could lead to the adoption of organic labeling for fish, but in early 2015, it was still under review. The concept of "organic fish" has proven controversial because of the challenges associated with protecting water supplies and fish feed.

A commitment to organic eating can be an important one for you and your family, but before shelling out extra money for all organic foods, it's wise to pay attention to labeling and what’s worth the cost.

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